Air Lease Corporation Announces Fourth Quarter & Fiscal Year 2021 Results

LOS ANGELES--()--Air Lease Corporation (ALC) (NYSE: AL) announces financial results for the three months and year ended December 31, 2021.

“We had a strong fourth quarter and second half of 2021 that benefited from continuing airline industry recovery, as seen in our cash collections, operating metrics, fleet expansion, and record lease placements. We resumed our aircraft sales program and concluded the largest aircraft order in ALC’s history to support the growing demand we are seeing in the marketplace,” said John L. Plueger, Chief Executive Officer and President.

“We are witnessing strengthening lease rates overall across the spectrum of new and used aircraft, including improvement in widebody lease rates being positively influenced by the exceptional strength in the freight market. Reflecting continued confidence in our future and profitability, our Board of Directors has approved a $150 million common share repurchase authorization, in addition to our 37th consecutive quarterly dividend,” said Steven F. Udvar-Házy, Executive Chairman of the Board.

Fourth Quarter and Fiscal Year 2021 Results

The following table summarizes our operating results for the three months and year ended December 31, 2021 and 2020 (in millions, except per share amounts and percentages):

Operating Results

 

Three Months Ended

December 31,

 

Year Ended

December 31,

 

 

2021

 

 

2020

 

$ change

 

% change

 

 

2021

 

 

2020

 

$ change

 

% change

Revenues

$

597

 

$

489

 

$

108

 

22.1

%

 

$

2,088

 

$

2,015

 

$

73

 

 

3.6

%

Income before taxes

 

188

 

 

138

 

 

50

 

36.2

%

 

 

541

 

 

647

 

 

(106

)

 

(16.4

)%

Net income available to common stockholders

 

142

 

 

107

 

 

35

 

32.7

%

 

 

408

 

 

501

 

 

(93

)

 

(18.6

)%

Adjusted net income before income taxes(1)

 

200

 

 

148

 

 

52

 

35.1

%

 

 

590

 

 

692

 

 

(102

)

 

(14.7

)%

Diluted earnings per share

$

1.24

 

$

0.94

 

$

0.3

 

31.9

%

 

$

3.57

 

$

4.39

 

$

(0.82

)

 

(18.7

)%

Adjusted diluted earnings per share before income taxes(1)

$

1.75

 

$

1.30

 

$

0.45

 

34.6

%

 

$

5.15

 

$

6.07

 

$

(0.92

)

 

(15.2

)%

Key Financial Ratios

 

Three Months Ended

December 31,

Year Ended

December 31,

 

2021

 

2020

 

2021

 

2020

Pre-tax profit margin

31.5

%

 

28.2

%

 

25.9

%

 

32.1

%

Adjusted pre-tax profit margin(1)

33.5

%

 

30.3

%

 

28.2

%

 

34.3

%

Pre-tax return on common equity (trailing twelve months)

8.6

%

 

11.3

%

 

8.6

%

 

11.3

%

Adjusted pre-tax return on common equity (trailing twelve months)(1)

9.8

%

 

12.4

%

 

9.8

%

 

12.4

%

(1)

Adjusted net income before income taxes, adjusted diluted earnings per share before income taxes, adjusted pre-tax profit margin and adjusted pre-tax return on common equity have been adjusted to exclude the effects of certain non-cash items, one-time or non-recurring items, that are not expected to continue in the future and certain other items. See note 1 under the Consolidated Statements of Income included in this earnings release for a discussion of the non-GAAP measures and a reconciliation to their most comparable GAAP financial measures.

Highlights

  • Finalized agreements with Airbus to purchase a total of 116 aircraft, including 59 A321neos, 25 A220-300s, 20 A321XLRs, seven A350Fs and five A330-900s. This represented the largest individual order for new aircraft in our Company's history.
  • In February 2022, we agreed to purchase from Boeing 50 737 MAX aircraft, consisting of 32 incremental 737 MAX aircraft and 18 737 MAX aircraft resulting from the conversion of three 787 aircraft. Deliveries of the aircraft are scheduled to commence in 2024 and continue through 2026.
  • Issued $3.7 billion of senior unsecured medium-term notes in 2021 with a weighted average interest rate of 1.27% and ended the year with total liquidity(1) of $7.9 billion.
  • Took delivery of 15 aircraft from our order book during the fourth quarter, representing $1.2 billion in aircraft investments. As of December 31, 2021, we had 382 aircraft in our owned fleet, with a net book value of $22.9 billion, a weighted average age of 4.4 years and a weighted average lease term remaining of 7.2 years.
  • Placed 99% of our contracted orderbook positions on long-term leases for aircraft delivering through the end of 2023 and have placed 58% of our entire orderbook.
  • Ended the year with $30.9 billion in committed minimum future rental payments consisting of $14.8 billion in contracted minimum rental payments on the aircraft in our existing fleet and $16.1 billion in minimum future rental payments related to aircraft on order.
  • Collection rate(2) for the three and twelve months ended December 31, 2021 was 99.3% and 91.4%, respectively. This contributed to the 26.3% increase in our operating cash flow for the year ended December 31, 2021.
  • Lease utilization rate(3) for the three and twelve months ended December 31, 2021 was 99.8%.
  • On February 15, 2022, our board of directors authorized a share repurchase program of up to $150.0 million of our Class A common stock. The program expires on September 30, 2022.
  • On February 15, 2022, our board of directors declared a quarterly cash dividend of $0.185 per share on our outstanding common stock. The dividend will be paid on April 7, 2022 to holders of record of our common stock as of March 18, 2022.

Financial Overview

Our total revenues for the year ended December 31, 2021 increased by 3.6% to $2.1 billion as compared to the year ended December 31, 2020. The increase in total revenues was primarily driven by the continued growth in our fleet, an increase in our cash collections from our lessees, as well as an increase in our aircraft sales, trading and other activity, partially offset by the impact of cash basis accounting and lease restructurings. The impact of cash basis accounting and lease restructurings for the year ended December 31, 2021 resulted in a decrease in revenue of $72.7 million and $132.5 million, respectively. Our net income available to common stockholders for the year ended December 31, 2021 was $408.2 million compared to $500.9 million for the year ended December 31, 2020. Our diluted earnings per share for the year ended December 31, 2021 was $3.57 compared to $4.39 for the year ended December 31, 2020. Despite the growth of our fleet, our net income available to common stockholders and diluted earnings per share decreased primarily due to the impact of lease restructurings and cash basis accounting.

——————————————————————
(1)

We define liquidity as unrestricted cash plus available borrowing capacity under our unsecured committed revolving credit facility.

(2)

Collection rate is defined as the sum of cash collected from lease rentals and maintenance reserves, and includes cash recovered from outstanding receivables from previous periods, as a percentage of the total contracted receivables due for the period. The collection rate is calculated after giving effect to lease deferral arrangements made as of December 31, 2021.

(3)

Lease utilization rate is calculated based on the number of days each aircraft was subject to a lease or letter of intent during the period, weighted by the net book value of the aircraft.

Flight Equipment Portfolio

Our fleet grew by 12.4% to a net book value of $22.9 billion as of December 31, 2021 compared to $20.4 billion as of December 31, 2020. As of December 31, 2021, we owned 382 aircraft in our aircraft portfolio, comprised of 278 narrowbody aircraft and 104 widebody aircraft. The weighted average fleet age and weighted average remaining lease term of our fleet as of December 31, 2021 was 4.4 years and 7.2 years, respectively. We have a globally diversified customer base of 118 airlines in 60 countries.

During the quarter ended December 31, 2021, we took delivery of 15 new aircraft, representing approximately $1.2 billion in aircraft investments.

The following table summarizes the key portfolio metrics of our fleet as of December 31, 2021 and 2020:

 

December 31, 2021

 

December 31, 2020

Net book value of flight equipment subject to operating leases

$ 22.9 billion

 

$ 20.4 billion

Weighted-average fleet age(1)

4.4 years

 

4.1 years

Weighted-average remaining lease term(1)

7.2 years

 

6.9 years

 

 

 

 

Owned fleet

382

 

332

Managed fleet

92

 

81

Aircraft on order(2)(3)

431

 

361

Aircraft purchase options(4)

 

25

Total

905

 

799

 

 

 

 

Current fleet contracted rentals

$ 14.8 billion

 

$ 13.6 billion

Committed fleet rentals

$ 16.1 billion

 

$ 13.2 billion

Total committed rentals

$ 30.9 billion

 

$ 26.8 billion

 

(1)

Weighted-average fleet age and remaining lease term calculated based on net book value of our flight equipment subject to operating lease.

(2)

The table above reflects the conversion of three 787-9 aircraft to 18 737 MAX aircraft pursuant to a February 2022 agreement with Boeing.

(3)

Excluded from the table above are orders for 32 Boeing 737 MAX aircraft pursuant to a February 2022 memorandum of understanding signed with Boeing.

(4)

As of December 31, 2021, we did not have any options to acquire aircraft. As of December 31, 2020, we had options to acquire up to 25 Airbus A220 aircraft.

The following table details the region concentration of our flight equipment subject to operating lease:

 

 

December 31, 2021

 

December 31, 2020

Region

 

% of Net Book Value

 

% of Net Book Value

Europe

 

32.5 %

 

31.4 %

Asia (excluding China)

 

26.0 %

 

27.1 %

China

 

12.8 %

 

13.5 %

The Middle East and Africa

 

10.7 %

 

11.6 %

U.S. and Canada

 

7.2 %

 

6.4 %

Central America, South America, and Mexico

 

6.8 %

 

5.3 %

Pacific, Australia, and New Zealand

 

4.0 %

 

4.7 %

Total

 

100.0 %

 

100.0 %

The following table details the composition of our owned fleet by aircraft type:

 

 

December 31, 2021

 

December 31, 2020

Aircraft type

 

Number of

Aircraft

 

% of Total

 

Number of

Aircraft

 

% of Total

Airbus A319-100

 

1

 

0.3

%

 

1

 

0.3

%

Airbus A320-200

 

31

 

8.1

%

 

31

 

9.4

%

Airbus A320-200neo

 

23

 

6.0

%

 

19

 

5.7

%

Airbus A321-200

 

26

 

6.8

%

 

28

 

8.4

%

Airbus A321-200neo

 

69

 

18.1

%

 

49

 

14.8

%

Airbus A330-200

 

13

 

3.4

%

 

13

 

3.9

%

Airbus A330-300

 

8

 

2.1

%

 

8

 

2.4

%

Airbus A330-900neo

 

9

 

2.4

%

 

8

 

2.4

%

Airbus A350-900

 

12

 

3.1

%

 

11

 

3.3

%

Airbus A350-1000

 

5

 

1.3

%

 

2

 

0.6

%

Boeing 737-700

 

4

 

1.0

%

 

4

 

1.2

%

Boeing 737-800

 

88

 

23.0

%

 

88

 

26.5

%

Boeing 737-8 MAX

 

28

 

7.3

%

 

15

 

4.5

%

Boeing 737-9 MAX

 

7

 

1.8

%

 

 

%

Boeing 777-200ER

 

1

 

0.3

%

 

1

 

0.3

%

Boeing 777-300ER

 

24

 

6.3

%

 

24

 

7.2

%

Boeing 787-9

 

26

 

6.8

%

 

23

 

7.0

%

Boeing 787-10

 

6

 

1.6

%

 

6

 

1.8

%

Embraer E190

 

1

 

0.3

%

 

1

 

0.3

%

Total

 

382

 

100.0

%

 

332

 

100.0

%

Debt Financing Activities

We ended the fourth quarter of 2021 with total debt financing, net of discounts and issuance costs, of $17.0 billion, resulting in a debt to equity ratio of 2.43:1. We ended the fourth quarter of 2021 with an aggregate borrowing capacity under our Revolving Credit Facility of $6.8 billion and total liquidity of $7.9 billion. As of December 31, 2021, 94.8% of our total debt financing was at a fixed rate and 99.2% was unsecured. As of December 31, 2021, our composite cost of funds was 2.79%.

As of the end of the periods presented, our debt portfolio was comprised of the following components (dollars in millions):

 

December 31,
2021

 

December 31,
2020

Unsecured

 

 

 

Senior notes

$

16,892

 

 

$

15,583

 

Term financings

 

167

 

 

 

812

 

Revolving credit facility

 

 

 

 

 

Total unsecured debt financing

 

17,059

 

 

 

16,395

 

Secured

 

 

 

Term financings

 

127

 

 

 

276

 

Export credit financing

 

18

 

 

 

25

 

Total secured debt financing

 

145

 

 

 

301

 

 

 

 

 

Total debt financing

 

17,204

 

 

 

16,696

 

Less: Debt discounts and issuance costs

 

(182

)

 

 

(178

)

Debt financing, net of discounts and issuance costs

$

17,022

 

 

$

16,518

 

Selected interest rates and ratios:

 

 

 

Composite interest rate(1)

 

2.79

%

 

 

3.13

%

Composite interest rate on fixed rate debt(1)

 

2.90

%

 

 

3.26

%

Percentage of total debt at fixed rate

 

94.80

%

 

 

93.02

%

 

 

 

 

(1)

This rate does not include the effect of upfront fees, facility fees, undrawn fees or amortization of debt discounts and issuance costs.

Conference Call

In connection with this earnings release, Air Lease Corporation will host a conference call on February 17, 2022 at 4:30 PM Eastern Time to discuss the Company's financial results for the fourth quarter and year end 2021.

Investors can participate in the conference call by dialing (855) 308-8321 domestic or (330) 863-3465 international. The passcode for the call is 4160718.

The conference call will also be broadcast live through a link on the Investor Relations page of the Air Lease Corporation website at www.airleasecorp.com. Please visit the website at least 15 minutes prior to the call to register, download and install any necessary audio software. A replay of the broadcast will be available on the Investor Relations page of the Air Lease Corporation website.

For your convenience, the conference call can be replayed in its entirety beginning at 7:30 PM ET on February 17, 2022 until 7:30 PM ET on March 1, 2022. If you wish to listen to the replay of this conference call, please dial (855) 859-2056 domestic or (404) 537-3406 international and enter passcode 4160718.

About Air Lease Corporation (NYSE: AL)

Air Lease Corporation is a leading aircraft leasing company based in Los Angeles, California that has airline customers throughout the world. ALC and its team of dedicated and experienced professionals are principally engaged in purchasing commercial aircraft and leasing them to its airline customers worldwide through customized aircraft leasing and financing solutions. ALC routinely posts information that may be important to investors in the “Investors” section of ALC’s website at www.airleasecorp.com. Investors and potential investors are encouraged to consult the ALC website regularly for important information about ALC. The information contained on, or that may be accessed through, ALC’s website is not incorporated by reference into, and is not a part of, this press release.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains statements that constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Those statements appear in a number of places in this press release and include statements regarding, among other matters, the state of the airline industry, the impact of the coronavirus (“COVID-19”) pandemic on us, our lessees and aircraft manufacturers, our anticipated capital expenditures and aircraft sales, our access to the capital markets, aircraft delivery delays and other factors affecting our financial condition or results of operations. Words such as “can,” “could,” “may,” “predicts,” “potential,” “will,” “projects,” “continuing,” “ongoing,” “expects,” “anticipates,” “intends,” “plans,” “believes,” “seeks,” “estimates” and “should,” and variations of these words and similar expressions, are used in many cases to identify these forward-looking statements. Any such forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve risks, uncertainties, and other factors that may cause our actual results, performance or achievements, or industry results to vary materially from our future results, performance or achievements, or those of our industry, expressed or implied in such forward-looking statements. Such factors include, among others:

  • the extent to which the COVID-19 pandemic and measures taken to contain its spread ultimately impact our business, results of operation and financial condition;
  • our inability to obtain additional capital on favorable terms, or at all, to acquire aircraft, service our debt obligations and refinance maturing debt obligations;
  • increases in our cost of borrowing or changes in interest rates;
  • our inability to generate sufficient returns on our aircraft investments through strategic acquisition and profitable leasing;
  • the failure of an aircraft or engine manufacturer to meet its delivery obligations to us, including or as a result of technical or other difficulties with aircraft before or after delivery;
  • obsolescence of, or changes in overall demand for, our aircraft;
  • changes in the value of, and lease rates for, our aircraft, including as a result of aircraft oversupply, manufacturer production levels, our lessees’ failure to maintain our aircraft, and other factors outside of our control;
  • impaired financial condition and liquidity of our lessees, including due to lessee defaults and reorganizations, bankruptcies or similar proceedings;
  • increased competition from other aircraft lessors;
  • the failure by our lessees to adequately insure our aircraft or fulfill their contractual indemnity obligations to us;
  • increased tariffs and other restrictions on trade;
  • changes in the regulatory environment, including changes in tax laws and environmental regulations;
  • other events affecting our business or the business of our lessees and aircraft manufacturers or their suppliers that are beyond our or their control, such as the threat or realization of epidemic diseases in addition to COVID-19, natural disasters, terrorist attacks, war or armed hostilities between countries or non-state actors; and
  • the factors discussed under “Part I – Item 1A. Risk Factors,” in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2021 and other SEC filings, including future SEC filings.

The factors noted above and the risks included in our other SEC filings may be increased or intensified as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, including as a result of ongoing resurgences of the COVID-19 virus and its variants. The extent to which the COVID-19 pandemic ultimately impacts our business, results of operations and financial condition will depend on future developments, which are highly uncertain and cannot be predicted. All forward-looking statements are necessarily only estimates of future results, and there can be no assurance that actual results will not differ materially from expectations. You are therefore cautioned not to place undue reliance on such statements. Any forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date on which it is made, and we undertake no obligation to update any forward-looking statement to reflect events or circumstances after the date on which the statement is made or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events.

Air Lease Corporation and Subsidiaries

CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS

(In thousands, except share and par value amounts)

 

December 31, 2021

 

December 31, 2020

 

(in thousands, except share and par
value amounts)

Assets

 

Cash and cash equivalents

$

1,086,500

 

 

$

1,734,155

 

Restricted cash

 

21,792

 

 

 

23,612

 

Flight equipment subject to operating leases

 

27,101,808

 

 

 

23,729,742

 

Less accumulated depreciation

 

(4,202,804

)

 

 

(3,349,392

)

 

 

22,899,004

 

 

 

20,380,350

 

Deposits on flight equipment purchases

 

1,508,892

 

 

 

1,800,119

 

Other assets

 

1,452,534

 

 

 

1,276,939

 

Total assets

$

26,968,722

 

 

$

25,215,175

 

Liabilities and Shareholders’ Equity

 

 

 

Accrued interest and other payables

$

611,757

 

 

$

492,473

 

Debt financing, net of discounts and issuance costs

 

17,022,480

 

 

 

16,518,338

 

Security deposits and maintenance reserves on flight equipment leases

 

1,173,831

 

 

 

1,072,704

 

Rentals received in advance

 

138,816

 

 

 

142,915

 

Deferred tax liability

 

1,013,270

 

 

 

916,404

 

Total liabilities

$

19,960,154

 

 

$

19,142,834

 

Shareholders’ Equity

 

 

 

Preferred Stock, $0.01 par value; 50,000,000 shares authorized; 10,600,000 (aggregate liquidation preference of $850,000) and 10,000,000 (aggregate liquidation preference of $250,000) shares issued and outstanding at December 31, 2021 and December 31, 2020, respectively

 

106

 

 

 

100

 

Class A common stock, $0.01 par value; 500,000,000 shares authorized; 113,987,154 and 113,852,896 shares issued and outstanding at December 31, 2021 and December 31, 2020, respectively

 

1,140

 

 

 

1,139

 

Class B Non-Voting common stock, $0.01 par value; authorized 10,000,000 shares; no shares issued or outstanding

 

 

 

 

 

Paid-in capital

 

3,399,245

 

 

 

2,793,178

 

Retained earnings

 

3,609,885

 

 

 

3,277,599

 

Accumulated other comprehensive (loss)/income

 

(1,808

)

 

 

325

 

Total shareholders’ equity

$

7,008,568

 

 

$

6,072,341

 

Total liabilities and shareholders’ equity

$

26,968,722

 

 

$

25,215,175

 

Air Lease Corporation and Subsidiaries

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF INCOME

(In thousands, except share and per share amounts and percentages)

Three Months Ended

December 31

 

Year Ended

December 31,

 

 

2021

 

2020

 

2021

 

2020

 

 

(unaudited)

Revenues

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Rental of flight equipment

 

$

563,663

 

 

$

483,621

 

 

$

2,003,337

 

 

$

1,946,620

 

Aircraft sales, trading and other

 

 

33,513

 

 

 

5,481

 

 

 

85,052

 

 

 

68,819

 

Total revenues

 

 

597,176

 

 

 

489,102

 

 

 

2,088,389

 

 

 

2,015,439

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Expenses

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Interest

 

 

116,152

 

 

 

113,980

 

 

 

462,396

 

 

 

431,733

 

Amortization of debt discounts and issuance costs

 

 

13,511

 

 

 

11,365

 

 

 

50,620

 

 

 

43,025

 

Interest expense

 

 

129,663

 

 

 

125,345

 

 

 

513,016

 

 

 

474,758

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Depreciation of flight equipment

 

 

230,819

 

 

 

202,722

 

 

 

882,562

 

 

 

780,691

 

Selling, general and administrative

 

 

40,598

 

 

 

20,542

 

 

 

125,279

 

 

 

95,684

 

Stock-based compensation

 

 

7,716

 

 

 

2,672

 

 

 

26,516

 

 

 

17,628

 

Total expenses

 

 

408,796

 

 

 

351,281

 

 

 

1,547,373

 

 

 

1,368,761

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Income before taxes

 

 

188,380

 

 

 

137,821

 

 

 

541,016

 

 

 

646,678

 

Income tax expense

 

 

(36,599

)

 

 

(26,728

)

 

 

(104,384

)

 

 

(130,414

)

Net income

 

$

151,781

 

 

$

111,093

 

 

$

436,632

 

 

$

516,264

 

Preferred stock dividends

 

 

(9,463

)

 

 

(3,844

)

 

 

(28,473

)

 

 

(15,375

)

Net income available to common stockholders

 

$

142,318

 

 

$

107,249

 

 

 

408,159

 

 

 

500,889

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Net income per share of common stock:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Basic

 

$

1.25

 

 

$

0.94

 

 

$

3.58

 

 

$

4.41

 

Diluted

 

$

1.24

 

 

$

0.94

 

 

$

3.57

 

 

$

4.39

 

Weighted-average shares of common stock outstanding

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Basic

 

 

113,987,154

 

 

 

113,795,564

 

 

 

114,050,578

 

 

 

113,684,782

 

Diluted

 

 

114,332,498

 

 

 

114,105,700

 

 

 

114,446,093

 

 

 

114,014,021

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Other financial data

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pre-tax profit margin

 

 

31.5

%

 

 

28.2

%

 

 

25.9

%

 

 

32.1

%

Adjusted net income before income taxes(1)

 

$

200,144

 

 

$

148,014

 

 

$

589,679

 

 

$

691,956

 

Adjusted pre-tax profit margin(1)

 

 

33.5

%

 

 

30.3

%

 

 

28.2

%

 

 

34.3

%

Adjusted diluted earnings per share before income taxes(1)

 

$

1.75

 

 

$

1.30

 

 

$

5.15

 

 

$

6.07

 

Pre-tax return on common equity (trailing twelve months)

 

 

8.6

%

 

 

11.3

%

 

 

8.6

%

 

 

11.3

%

Adjusted pre-tax return on common equity (trailing twelve months)(1)

 

 

9.8

%

 

 

12.4

%

 

 

9.8

%

 

 

12.4

%

(1)

Adjusted net income before income taxes (defined as net income available to common stockholders excluding the effects of certain non-cash items, one-time or non-recurring items, that are not expected to continue in the future and certain other items), adjusted pre-tax profit margin (defined as adjusted net income before income taxes divided by total revenues), adjusted diluted earnings per share before income taxes (defined as adjusted net income before income taxes divided by the weighted average diluted common shares outstanding) and adjusted pre-tax return on common equity (defined as adjusted net income before income taxes divided by average common shareholders’ equity) are measures of operating performance that are not defined by GAAP and should not be considered as an alternative to net income available to common stockholders, pre-tax profit margin, earnings per share, diluted earnings per share and pre-tax return on common equity, or any other performance measures derived in accordance with GAAP. Adjusted net income before income taxes, adjusted pre-tax profit margin, adjusted diluted earnings per share before income taxes and adjusted pre-tax return on common equity are presented as supplemental disclosure because management believes they provide useful information on our earnings from ongoing operations.

Management and our board of directors use adjusted net income before income taxes, adjusted pre-tax profit margin, adjusted diluted earnings per share before income taxes and adjusted pre-tax return on common equity to assess our consolidated financial and operating performance. Management believes these measures are helpful in evaluating the operating performance of our ongoing operations and identifying trends in our performance, because they remove the effects of certain non-cash items, one-time or non-recurring items that are not expected to continue in the future and certain other items from our operating results. Adjusted net income before income taxes, adjusted pre-tax profit margin, adjusted diluted earnings per share before income taxes and adjusted pre-tax return on common equity, however, should not be considered in isolation or as a substitute for analysis of our operating results or cash flows as reported under GAAP. Adjusted net income before income taxes, adjusted pre-tax profit margin, adjusted diluted earnings per share before income taxes and adjusted pre-tax return on common equity do not reflect our cash expenditures or changes in our cash requirements for our working capital needs. In addition, our calculation of adjusted net income before income taxes, adjusted pre-tax profit margin, adjusted diluted earnings per share before income taxes and adjusted pre-tax return on common equity may differ from the adjusted net income before income taxes, adjusted pre-tax profit margin, adjusted diluted earnings per share before income taxes and adjusted pre-tax return on common equity, or analogous calculations of other companies in our industry, limiting their usefulness as a comparative measure.

The following table shows the calculation for adjusted pre-tax profit margin (in thousands, except percentages):

 

Three Months Ended
December 31,

 

Year Ended
December 31,

 

2021

 

2020

 

2021

 

2020

 

(unaudited)

Reconciliation of the numerator for adjusted pre-tax profit margin (net income available to common stockholders to adjusted net income before income taxes):

 

Net income available to common stockholders

$

142,318

 

 

$

107,249

 

 

$

408,159

 

 

$

500,889

 

Amortization of debt discounts and issuance costs

 

13,511

 

 

 

11,365

 

 

 

50,620

 

 

 

43,025

 

Stock-based compensation

 

7,716

 

 

 

2,672

 

 

 

26,516

 

 

 

17,628

 

Provision for income taxes

 

36,599

 

 

 

26,728

 

 

 

104,384

 

 

 

130,414

 

Adjusted net income before income taxes

$

200,144

 

 

$

148,014

 

 

$

589,679

 

 

$

691,956

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Denominator for adjusted pre-tax profit margin:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Total revenues

$

597,176

 

 

$

489,102

 

 

$

2,088,389

 

 

$

2,015,439

 

Adjusted pre-tax profit margin(a)

 

33.5

%

 

 

30.3

%

 

 

28.2

%

 

 

34.3

%

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(a)

Adjusted pre-tax profit margin is adjusted net income before income taxes divided by total revenues.

The following table shows the calculation for adjusted diluted earnings per share before income taxes (in thousands, except share and per share amounts):

 

Three Months Ended
December 31,

 

Year Ended
December 31,

 

2021

 

2020

 

2021

 

2020

 

(unaudited)

Reconciliation of numerator for adjusted diluted earnings per share (net income available to common stockholders to adjusted net income before income taxes):

 

Net income available to common stockholders

$

142,318

 

$

107,249

 

$

408,159

 

$

500,889

Amortization of debt discounts and issuance costs

 

13,511

 

 

11,365

 

 

50,620

 

 

43,025

Stock-based compensation

 

7,716

 

 

2,672

 

 

26,516

 

 

17,628

Provision for income taxes

 

36,599

 

 

26,728

 

 

104,384

 

 

130,414

Adjusted net income before income taxes

$

200,144

 

$

148,014

 

$

589,679

 

$

691,956

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Denominator for adjusted diluted earnings per share:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Weighted-average diluted shares of common stock outstanding

 

114,332,498

 

 

114,105,700

 

 

114,446,093

 

 

114,014,021

Adjusted diluted earnings per share before income taxes(b)

$

1.75

 

$

1.30

 

$

5.15

 

$

6.07

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(b)

Adjusted diluted earnings per share before income taxes is adjusted net income before income taxes divided by weighted-average diluted common shares outstanding

The following table shows the calculation of adjusted pre-tax return on common equity (in thousands, except percentages):

 

Year Ended
December 31,

 

2021

 

2020

 

(unaudited)

Reconciliation of the numerator for adjusted pre-tax return on common equity (net income available to common stockholders to adjusted net income before income taxes):

 

Net income available to common stockholders

$

408,159

 

 

$

500,889

 

Amortization of debt discounts and issuance costs

 

50,620

 

 

 

43,025

 

Stock-based compensation

 

26,516

 

 

 

17,628

 

Provision for income taxes

 

104,384

 

 

 

130,414

 

Adjusted net income before income taxes

$

589,679

 

 

$

691,956

 

 

 

 

 

Denominator for adjusted pre-tax return on common equity:

 

 

 

Common shareholders' equity as of the beginning of the period

$

5,822,341

 

 

$

5,373,544

 

Common shareholders' equity as of the end of the period

$

6,158,568

 

 

$

5,822,341

 

Average common shareholders' equity

$

5,990,455

 

 

$

5,597,943

 

 

 

 

 

Adjusted pre-tax return on common equity(c)

 

9.8

%

 

 

12.4

%

 

 

 

 

(c)

Adjusted pre-tax return on common equity is adjusted net income before income taxes divided by average common shareholders' equity

Air Lease Corporation and Subsidiaries

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS

(In thousands)

Year Ended
December 31, 2021

 

Year Ended
December 31, 2020

 

(in thousands)

Operating Activities

 

 

 

Net income

$

436,632

 

 

$

516,264

 

Adjustments to reconcile net income to net cash provided by operating activities:

 

 

 

Depreciation of flight equipment

 

882,562

 

 

 

780,691

 

Stock-based compensation

 

26,516

 

 

 

17,628

 

Deferred taxes

 

97,446

 

 

 

166,467

 

Amortization of prepaid lease costs

 

46,547

 

 

 

43,224

 

Amortization of discounts and debt issuance costs

 

50,620

 

 

 

43,025

 

Gain on aircraft sales, trading and other activity

 

(46,109

)

 

 

(34,654

)

Changes in operating assets and liabilities:

 

 

 

Other assets

 

(176,391

)

 

 

(415,347

)

Accrued interest and other payables

 

63,112

 

 

 

(22,810

)

Rentals received in advance

 

(4,099

)

 

 

(4,302

)

Net cash provided by operating activities

 

1,376,836

 

 

 

1,090,186

 

Investing Activities

 

 

 

Acquisition of flight equipment under operating lease

 

(2,506,175

)

 

 

(1,631,551

)

Payments for deposits on flight equipment purchases

 

(496,838

)

 

 

(885,679

)

Proceeds from aircraft sales, trading and other activity

 

137,887

 

 

 

151,132

 

Acquisition of aircraft furnishings, equipment and other assets

 

(229,654

)

 

 

(160,993

)

Net cash used in investing activities

 

(3,094,780

)

 

 

(2,527,091

)

Financing Activities

 

 

 

Issuance of common stock upon exercise of options and warrants

 

1,438

 

 

 

6,569

 

Issuance of preferred stock

 

591,340

 

 

 

 

Cash dividends paid on Class A common stock

 

(73,001

)

 

 

(68,183

)

Common shares repurchased

 

(5,780

)

 

 

 

Preferred dividends paid

 

(28,473

)

 

 

(15,375

)

Tax withholdings on stock-based compensation

 

(7,441

)

 

 

(8,618

)

Net change in unsecured revolving facilities

 

 

 

 

(20,000

)

Proceeds from debt financings

 

3,655,830

 

 

 

4,659,762

 

Payments in reduction of debt financings

 

(3,194,482

)

 

 

(1,728,029

)

Debt issuance costs

 

(10,245

)

 

 

(8,102

)

Security deposits and maintenance reserve receipts

 

174,521

 

 

 

114,596

 

Security deposits and maintenance reserve disbursements

 

(35,238

)

 

 

(76,009

)

Net cash provided by financing activities

 

1,068,469

 

 

 

2,856,611

 

Net (decrease)/increase in cash

 

(649,475

)

 

 

1,419,706

 

Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash at beginning of period

 

1,757,767

 

 

 

338,061

 

Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash at end of period

$

1,108,292

 

 

$

1,757,767

 

Supplemental Disclosure of Cash Flow Information

 

 

 

Cash paid during the period for interest, including capitalized interest of $49,070 and $53,163 at December 31, 2021 and 2020, respectively

$

508,616

 

 

$

449,662

 

Cash paid for income taxes

$

5,734

 

 

$

29,733

 

Supplemental Disclosure of Noncash Activities

 

 

 

Buyer furnished equipment, capitalized interest, deposits on flight equipment purchases and seller financing applied to acquisition of flight equipment and other assets applied to payments for deposits on flight equipment purchases

$

1,009,554

 

 

$

782,896

 

Cash dividends declared, not yet paid

 

21,088

 

 

 

18,216

 

 

Contacts

Investors:
Mary Liz DePalma
Vice President, Investor Relations
Email: investors@airleasecorp.com

Jason Arnold
Assistant Vice President, Finance
Email: investors@airleasecorp.com

Media:
Laura Woeste
Senior Manager, Media and Investor Relations
Email: press@airleasecorp.com

Ashley Arnold
Manager, Media and Investor Relations
Email: press@airleasecorp.com

Social Media Profiles

Contacts

Investors:
Mary Liz DePalma
Vice President, Investor Relations
Email: investors@airleasecorp.com

Jason Arnold
Assistant Vice President, Finance
Email: investors@airleasecorp.com

Media:
Laura Woeste
Senior Manager, Media and Investor Relations
Email: press@airleasecorp.com

Ashley Arnold
Manager, Media and Investor Relations
Email: press@airleasecorp.com